Thinking of getting a fifth dog. Are we absolutely insane?

[campos]

How many dogs is ”too many”? We’ve been entertaining the idea of adding a 5th pup to our pack (a Vizsla) and would love to get some insight and perspective from fellow pet parents/dog owners who have (or have had) multiple dogs (4+) at a time. Any thoughts?

Context

A few months ago, the breeder that we got Bailey from (our current V) reached out about a litter due in June. We had developed a somewhat close relationship after we got our current V from him and his wife. We are excited at the prospect of a new pup but are not sure about adding a 5th dog to the pack…

My partner and I split the responsibilities of dogs 50/50 which generally makes things flow smoothly. We both work full-time “corporate” jobs but are fully remote/WFH (permanently) which allows a lot of flexibility in our schedules despite leading overall busy lives. We have decent space, a 3 bedroom house in the suburbs, with front and back yards, and are financially secure. We have invested a lot of time and money in advanced training (daily), socialization, doggy daycare (twice a week) and take good care of our pups. They are family, period.

Our current pack: Vizsla (F), Doberman (F), Doberman (M), Malinois (M).

 

[johanlolz]

@campos Honestly, if you can afford it and think that you will still be able to give all your pups the stimulation and exercise they need, I say go for it. Sounds like your pup family is very lucky to have people like you
and your partner.

 

[campos]

@johanlolz Appreciate you saying that. We are fully committed to our pups. I think we could do it. I worry about disrupting pack order/balance by adding a new female/male but perhaps we could work it out.

 

[ben1996]

@campos We had five up until recently, and honestly, the only consideration is financial. If you’re prepared for the additional vet/food expenses, there shouldn’t be much of a difference as long as you ensure the dog fits in with the pack. Be sure to socialize with the other dog in a neutral environment prior to committing.

 

[campos]

@ben1996 Thanks! That’s actually great advice

 

[ben1996]

@campos For sure! Good luck.

 

[gd3001]

@campos My only concern is that if they are very similar in age it can be a lot time wise and financially to deal with multiple elderly dogs. But otherwise it sounds like you have a good handle on things

 

[campos]

@gd3001 That’s a fair point. Haven’t really thought out that.

 

[jayy_c24]

@campos It sounds like you are very knowledgeable about how care, train, and otherwise enrich your dog's lives! I would recommend fostering/adopting a dog that is in need (lots of shelters and rescues need knowledgeable foster parents) However, it sounds like you know what you want, so go for it!!

 

[campos]

@jayy_c24 Thanks for sharing your opinion! appreciate it. Our third and four pups were rescued/adopted, so we might go down that path again. However this particular opportunity is for a Vizsla puppy which is a breed we love! So we are tempted to go for it.

 

[sh419ob]

@campos Lots of places have limits on the number of pets allowed and it’s usually somewhere around 4 or 5. I mean not just rent houses but whole towns or countries. Travel in EU is limited to 5 dogs. Check the rules that potentially may be important to you if not immediately then some time in the future.

 

[campos]

@sh419ob Good point

 

[dwrity90]

@campos My sister has 12. She has no children and treats them as though they are. Those damn dogs eat better than meBut the dogs always come first in her house. They eat pasta to pay vet and food bills. Plus some of them eat raw and others on special diets. She’s crazy but I love her

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@dwrity90 I used to have a friend who had 12 dogs. I don’t know how she did it, but she did, although personally I found it to be a borderline hoarding situation and my county’s dog limit per household maxes out at 5 anyways. Those dogs got enough food, shelter, enrichment etc for days and lived fantastic lives, but realistically, I find it very, very difficult to keep 12 dogs up to date on lifestyle-appropriate vaccines, annual exams, preventatives, and altering/sterilizing them if you are not very financially well off. $20 rabies vaccines for 12 dogs alone is almost $300 ~just~ for rabies, aka the literal bare minimum, and if your county has said household dog limit, you will have to run around trying to license your dogs in different counties around you (which is the law) because they will catch on to you.

I’m someone who works professionally in animal welfare for a living and things like this are not “optional” to me personally, and I recognize people live different lives and have different opinions regarding that, but I feel like no matter how many dogs you have, your standard of proper medical care can’t be slack or have corners cut all because you have a dozen dogs. Idk man, to each their own ultimately.

 

[dwrity90]

@imagebeastmarkbeast My sister has been in the dog field for 25 yrs. She’s rescued and re homed over a 1000 dogs. She owns her own grooming shop that she brings 7 of the 12 everyday. Her and her husband make ALOT of money and they even struggle to pay bills for the dogs. Is it a hoarder situation?absolutely not. Are they crazy and the dogs are all over the place?? Absolutely. . As long as them and the dogs are happy it’s no one else’s business. Not even mine unfortunately

 

[campos]

@dwrity90 your sisters is a saint. Thanks for sharing!

 

[vanda]

@campos If everyone is well behaved already and you can afford it, totally worth it.

 

[campos]

@vanda Thank you!

 

[mannymyman]

@campos We just adopted our fourth and I had the same question lol. Really if you can tick all the responsibility boxes (it looks like you have) then it's just looking at your heart which seems to know already Some people definitely will think you're insane regardless though, oddly enough not all people enjoy having a whole pack of dogs

 

[campos]

@mannymyman Thanks for sharing this! appreciate it.